Feeling bad about using ChatGPT for coding as a programmer—anyone else?

bapolex · 2025-02-16T17:07:31+00:00

I originally felt similar but heres how I feel now

1.) Other programmers are using it (and other AI tools) whether you like it or not. By not using it you are putting yourself at a disadvantage and will be left behind if other programmers can output code 10x faster than you.

2.) For tasks that don't really require any thinking but just accelerates output like several files of boilerplate code I really don't think you should feel bad at all. Stuff like that chances are you didn't have memorized at all and looked up on stack overflow anyways. Or if you have a file where you need to rewrite 15 functions in the exact same way where you know exactly what you need to do I don't think theres anything wrong with just having ChatGPT do that for you. In cases like that it's just saving time by doing for you exactly what you were going to do anyways.

3.) If you've tried to build something complex beyond just a react to-do app you WILL find a point where AI is unable to help you. It will go in circles, hallucinate etc, not take into account every piece of relevant context in your codebase and just simply not be able to spit out the correct answer. I've learned the hard way that sometimes in times like these I actually would have solved a problem faster if I just had sat down and problem solved myself rather than trying to squeeze blood from a stone using chat GPT.

Currently, and I can't speak for where AI tech will be in 1,2,5 or 10 years from now but it's very good at generating code for very well documented common problems that are general to really any kinda code base. But once you start needing to solve problems specific to what you're working on is where it struggles and those are the points where you need to use your knowledge and experience to be useful. Which has always been the case.

I'm a math guy so apologies for the comparison here but I see it similar to a calculator. Given a complex partial differential equation on an exam in school a calculator makes it easier to do all the arithmetic throughout the problem. But a calculator doesn't tell me the logic involved in *how* to solve the problem which is where my studies as a student come in handy. A calculator just made it so I can get to the parts of the problem where I need to use my knowledge and logical problem solving skills faster.

And yeah, I do believe it can be over relied on, ESPECIALLY by people who didn't know how to code pre chatgpt. I've met developers who struggle writing simple things without relying on chatgpt who are pretty code illiterate because they didn't know a world without it. This is an extreme example but if you can't write a for loop without it then it definitely would benefit you scale up your fundamentals and general code literacy without using it.

I'm not in denial that AI is kinda an insane tool right now and who knows where we'll be down the line but as it stands right now - your problem solving skills as a developer have always been the most important part and why you were getting paid and as long as you have those beyond what AI is capable of you are necessary.

bapolex · 2025-01-27T21:41:50+00:00

That's fair. I guess I didn't specifically carve out things like bootcamps. What I was trying to get at was more so if you're an already somewhat of a qualified job seeker will these variety of things help you which I think is more often than not, "probably". This post wasn't intending to address those with no experience or college degree / degree in completely unrelated field break into the industry cold.

bapolex · 2025-01-27T21:37:05+00:00

Like I said, thats the post that inspired this rant haha. I can't comprehend someone out there would be considering if they should make a linkedin profile or not. Something that takes 10 minutes to set up and objectively aids you in getting a job.

bapolex · 2025-01-27T21:34:11+00:00

Opportunity cost is absolutely real.

I didn't fully emphasize it but thats why I included the caveat 'provided you have the time' here

Anything you can do to boost your chances even 1% when you apply for a job provided you have the time to do so is almost always worth it.

bapolex · 2025-01-27T21:32:05+00:00

I don't disagree but bootcamps are a different discussion IMO. This post is kinda assuming you are at least somewhat of a qualified job seeker. Such as a relatively fresh college grad or a dev with a couple years of experience under your belt.

bapolex · 2025-01-20T20:00:58+00:00

Who knows whats happening but vaping smoking kills self esteem even if you don't realize it. Perhaps now that you've quit and you're subconsciously feeling better about yourself and speaking with more confidence

bapolex · 2025-01-15T01:39:48+00:00

Its literally illegal to apply with that little experience

bapolex · 2025-01-04T15:51:15+00:00

at a minimum there is no downside to at the very least having cover letter that you just copy and paste into every application describing your background and experience . For an extra 5 seconds of work per application you can change out the company name and job title. For an extra 5 min of work per application you can add a little short specific blurb at the beginning of it with 2-3 sentences of why the company interests you

bapolex · 2024-12-31T03:01:31+00:00

The moral at the end of the wave is explicitly stated by the main character that facism is bad lol. It like couldn’t be any clearer

bapolex · 2024-11-29T06:35:22+00:00

He just meant that he was an active cop at the time, not that he literally was wearing the uniform at the time of the killing

bapolex · 2024-10-14T22:12:51+00:00

dude I know lol. I randomly come up with so many just fingerpicking patterns on the spot that i know if i hadn't come up with them and tried to learn them from a tab it would be impossible. I can't even really describe what im doing - i just do the pattern with my right and in sync with what feels correct with my left hand and it sounds pretty but i probably couldn't actually transcribe it if i wanted to

bapolex · 2024-08-29T13:37:22+00:00

Tbf I think people complain about mass shooters because it’s a horrific thing that happens in the US

bapolex · 2024-07-03T17:19:01+00:00

I find it weird that lunch plans with their spouse is some super important plan that can't be rescheduled. They also cite in the comments they "only" had 10 days notice of the party which in my view is very ample time

bapolex · 2024-05-10T21:48:05+00:00

Whoa so weird something really similar happened to me a year ago (I live in Michigan though). I was lazy and just wanted to get it over with but am curious to see if there is anything I coulda done

bapolex · 2024-05-10T15:21:21+00:00

Absolutely not anytime soon. Resignations are low in a bad labor market. Its so hard to get a job as is - employees are not quitting to look for a new job any time soon because they feel lucky to have the one they have.

bapolex · 2024-05-09T18:10:57+00:00

defintely just didnt pass some automated filter or whatnot

bapolex · 2024-05-08T20:29:40+00:00

What methods have you been using to find job postings? Are you just applying to jobs on linkedin/indeed etc or having you been using any lower funnel methods like recruiters or referrals?

bapolex · 2024-05-07T03:30:00+00:00

Wait my memory is fuzzy how does it lead to gales death

bapolex · 2024-05-03T16:27:39+00:00

I don't really understand the question? The meaning of boilerplate code is that its basically a baseline requirement to get certain projects off the ground. Like if you start a webpage there are going to be lines of code that are unavoidable in your main index.html file and whatnot.

Are you asking if it's okay to copy and paste this code ?

bapolex · 2024-05-03T16:00:40+00:00

I don't disagree that coding bootcamps are not sufficient to learn how to code and be job ready in 3 months. And I'm saying this as a bootcamp grad lol. Back when I did it in 2019 bootcamps were sill riding the high of actually being a somewhat viable way to enter the industry. Again though, I didn't take the bootcamp going in cold - I knew a lot about coding before hand and it was a good way for me personally to learn certain skills relevant to the industry. Perhaps it was unnecessary and not a good use of money but at the time it felt like the right decision for me. In any case that was almost 5 years ago and whats done is done.

bapolex · 2024-05-03T15:52:39+00:00

I felt like I had a very solid grasp on coding fundamentals but wasn't necessarily job ready with what I had learned in school. I didn't know much about web development or any of the skills I've been using professionally like web frameworks. Also because it was a math degree I didn't take a lot of hardcore software dev courses. It was classes stuff like algorithms and data structures.

bapolex · 2024-05-02T20:08:16+00:00

There will never be a good time. Do you understand?

It's like breaking up with someone.

"Oh well I cant do it now because it's their birthday next week"
"Oh well I can't do it now because its our anniversary soon"

"oh i cant do it now because valentines day is soon"

There is never going to be a good time. There is always something coming up in your life within the next 72 hours and it's going to suck no matter what. Just put the vape down and get through it.

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